


The Frankenstein Complex

by LivingTheUpgrade



Category: Beetlejuice the musical - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:47:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25960801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LivingTheUpgrade/pseuds/LivingTheUpgrade
Summary: I'm trash at summarizing stories, this one isn't an exception so...The concept was basically a modern Frankenstein.(Also, I don't own Beetlejuice: the musical or the characters)
Relationships: Adam Maitland/Barbara Maitland, Beetlejuice/Lydia Deetz, Charles Deetz/Delia Deetz
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	1. The First Day

The house is cold and unfamiliar, the floorboards creaking underfoot as the movers carry the couch I'm laying on into the living room.  
They set it down carefully, I remain laying on it, arms crossed over my chest.  
"Hey dad, does this couch make me look dead?" I ask, he sighs in disappointment and defeat.  
"Lydia, I'm not answering a question like that"  
Delia comes up to me and begins talking, I zone out and go upstairs to my new room, I start unpacking my room, I finish unpacking the enlarger from my darkroom at our old house and notice my photo paper and developing supplies are missing.  
"Hey, have you seen my developing supplies?!" I call down the stairs.  
"Check the attic!" Delia calls back to me, I walk up the rickety steps that lead to the attic and pause before turning the doorknob.  
The room is dark, the only light coming from a small window across the room, I turn on the light and look around the attic, I spot the missing box and grab it, as I look up I see a man in a striped suit looking at me with what I assume is a slight interest.  
I notice two other figures peeking out at me from their poorly chosen hiding spot.  
"Who the hell are you?" I ask them, shock taking over their features as the two step out from behind a bookshelf into full visibility.  
The blonde woman wearing a green floral dress and the man wearing a green flannel tucked into gray pants.  
"I'm Barbara, this is my husband Adam" The woman says, gesturing to the man wearing the flannel who waves at me, I give him a small wave and turn to the other man.  
"I'm Lydia, who are you?" I ask the man wearing a black and white striped suit, his hair unruly and composed of different shades of green that fascinate me.  
"I can't say it" he says, his voice gravely and rough, his words causing my fascination to increase, I turn to the woman and her husband, looking for an answer but after receiving no response, I give a sigh and go up to the group.  
"How about a game of charades?" I ask him, raising an eyebrow at him.  
"Yes, lets play it!" He says obviously excited, the couple back away a few feet in a nervous fashion.  
"Beetlejuice?" I say as the game comes to a close, he nods at me excitedly.  
The couple reproaching us, making small talk for a few minutes.  
"Why are you up here?" I ask, Barbara and Adam look down at the floor.  
"We're ghosts, we just don't like people so, we stay up here" Adam says, Barbara nodding along with his words.  
"I'm a demon, waiting for a living person to say my name three times in a row so I can be free!" Beetlejuice says.  
"Any of you scary? I need to scare my dad and the joke of a life coach he married." I say, they turn to Beetlejuice and I smile at him.  
"How about we go somewhere and talk planning?" He says, offering me his hand.  
"I need to put this in my bedroom, we can go onto the roof after I do that" I say, slowly sliding my hand into his before intertwining our fingers together.  
"Ooh, a couples hand hold!" He exclaims excitedly, Barbara rolls her eyes and I laugh briefly, in the blink of an eye Beetlejuice and I are standing on the rooftop by the railing, the box no longer in my other arm.  
He goes on about the things he would like to do and what he can do, I consider his offer seriously as we sit at the edge of the roof.  
"He's been acting really weird lately, he's lost his mind Beetlejuice and I'm the only one acknowledging it but when I bring it up he tells me that I'm the one losing my mind, I might be overdramatic and in mourning over my dead mom but I know I'm not crazy." I say confidently, swinging my legs slightly causing them to run into his, he turns his head to look at me.  
"Oh believe me babes I know crazy, you're not it. Strange and unusual definitely! But not crazy." His words weirdly reassuring me, giving me an odd feeling of comfort I haven't felt since before my mom died.  
"He goes out in the middle of the night and doesn't tell anyone he's gone or where he was." I say, the sunlight washing Beetlejuice in a golden light making his deathly pale skin take on a lively glow.  
"Sounds like a serial killer" he jokes.  
He drapes an arm around my shoulders, I lean against his side and continue watching the sun go down.  
"This is the first nice moment I've had since my mom died." I say, his hand smooths down my hair and I lean into his cool touch.  
"When did she die?" He asks, a moment of silence passes before I gain the courage to speak.  
"Six months ago" I say sadly, footsteps approach us as Beetlejuice begins to reply, I turn my head and see Barbara looking at us in confusion.  
"Lydia, you're being called down for dinner" she says, clearly uncomfortable with interrupting us.  
Beetlejuice stands up and helps me to my feet, I brush the skirt of my dress off and take a step to where Barbara stands when Beetlejuice grabs my wrist, I turn to him and give him a confused look.  
"Shortcut?" He says, I nod and move closer to him, waving at Barbara before he transports us to my room.  
"Lydia! Dinner!" Delia yells up the stairs, I release a sigh.  
"Sorry, I'll be right there!" I shout back at her, looking up at Beetlejuice as I do so.  
He sits on the edge of my bed next to what I realize is the box from the attic as he looks around my bedroom, taking in his surroundings.  
"I have to go, I'll see you later?" I say, taking my hand from his.  
"Oh yeah, I'm always around somewhere. Usually the roof." He says, I nod and walk out of my room, the stairs heave slightly under my feet as I make my way to the dining room.  
When I enter the eerily silent dining room, my father looks up at me with a blank expression, as if he were looking through me.  
I sit down at the opposite end of the table from him, Delia comes in holding a large pot and places it in the middle of the table on the waiting potholder.  
She leaves the room and comes back with three plates each one with a grilled cheese sandwich on it, I thank her as she hands me a plate.  
As soon as the tomato soup is served it goes silent again, after we finish eating I take the dishes and place them in the dishwasher and go back in the dining room to grab the pot of leftover soup and bring it back to the kitchen pouring the remaining soup into a Tupperware container and placing it in the fridge before washing the pot and leaving it to dry as I go upstairs to my bedroom.  
As I enter my room I notice the absence of a certain green haired demon, the smell of tomato soup lingering around me causing me to grab a nightgown, I go into my bathroom and turn on the shower, stripping as I wait for the water to heat.  
I step into the shower, shutting the glass door behind me as I let the hot water wash over me, I quickly wash my hair and begin to wash my body when I see movement just outside the shower, my bedroom visible through the open door.  
"Is that you Beetlejuice?" I call out to whatever or whoever could be in my room, I get no answer as I rinse my body off, the movement happening once more.  
I turn off the water and slide the door open, stepping out and wrapping a towel around my body as I walk into my bedroom.  
"Beetlejuice?" I call out as I enter my bedroom, a glance around the room proves no one is there ghost, demon, or other.  
I go back to my bathroom and get dressed, brushing my teeth and drying my hair before I go back into my room, turning the light off and shutting the bathroom door behind me, I turn on my bedside lamp and turn off the overhead light before sitting on my bed and picking up my book.  
Half an hour passes, the silence I used to enjoy weighing down on me as I struggle to focus on the words as I turn the page.  
"Hey babes!" I set my book down and pat the bed next to me, he sits where I offered and a couple moments of comfortable silence pass.  
"Sorry if I'm being awkward, I'm not really used to having guys over let alone demons." I say with a small smile "Actually, you're the first in either category."  
He chuckles as he tilts his head against the headboard.  
"How'd dinner with the folks go?" he says, I let out a sharp breath and turn to him, my knees pressed against his upper thigh.  
"It was silent the entire time, he looked right through me! He didn't even acknowledge my presence, not that that's a new thing but it's still frustrating." I say, his arms go around me, shifting me to be flush against him, my head resting on his chest.  
"We'll make him see you." He says, stroking my hair, making me relax entirely, letting out a sigh of relief before my eyes flutter shut.


	2. The Sleepover

I wake up slowly, noticing Beetlejuice's absence once more that night.  
I hear movement coming from the far corner, my eyes go to it while I sit up, I see the vague outline of a figure sitting at my desk.  
"Beetlejuice?" I call out to the figure and the figure continues moving, shining amber eyes bore into me as it looks at me.  
"Beetlejuice?" I call out once more and I think I see it hesitate.  
"Hey, sorry. I zoned out a bit there" his voice comes through the darkness.  
"What are you doing?" I ask as I hear the scratches of a pen on paper.  
The sound stops and I hear the familiar sound of my sketchbook being set down on the desk before he stands, walking up to the bed, I turn the lamp on and pat the spot next to me for him to sit.  
"What were you drawing?" I ask, curious as to what he could possibly be sketching in the dark.  
A moment of awkward silence passes over us as Beetlejuice sits next to me.  
"Nothing, just got a little inspiration for a minute there." He says, I nod and lay against the pillows.  
"I have moments like that, it just hits at three in the morning" I say, dropping my hands as I notice they've begun to fidget.  
"Sorry, I'm being awkward. The only guy I've really been alone with was a boy who used to walk me home from school and I don't know why I just said that, never mind." I say, a hint of what appears to be jealousy or maybe possessiveness appears on his features for a moment before being replaced with a calm front.   
"Someone jealous?" I say, teasing half heartedly.  
"I am not jealous of some little boy." He says, I notice his hair turning pink as I pull the covers over myself.  
"You sure? Your hair is changing colors" I say, he points to me and drops his jaw slightly.  
"I am very secure, thank you very much" he says, laying on his back next to me.  
I roll onto my side and reach my hand out to him, his cold hand slides into mine and I pull him onto his side, the abrupt pull causing him to jerk flush against me.  
"A little rough there babes, I like it" he says, giving me a smirk as he looks at me, I let out a deep breath as his hands tangle in my hair, I bring a hand to rest on his neck, the other threading through his multicolored locks.  
Expectancy and anticipation washing over me as we linger in our current position.  
I drag my hand down from his neck and grab his tie, pulling him to me impatiently.  
My eyes shut as our lips crash together, his cold lips pressing against mine making me forget the issues I desperately want to fix but can't.  
The need for oxygen overcomes me and I slowly pull away from him, I open my eyes and watch as he blinks a couple times, our eyes lock as my chest heaves against his.  
"Stay with me this time?" I offer, he nods and shifts so he's laying on his back next to me under the covers.  
A few silent moments pass as we lay there, unmoving.  
"Is this where it gets weird? Because if it is just tell me you don't like me so we can move on"   
He gives me a look of disbelief before pulling me to him, his arms wrapping around me protectively.  
"I like you plenty babes, just shocked that you like me due to the whole...demon thing" he says.  
"Hey, some would kill to have a demon at their beck and call and I have one at mine because he has a small fascination with my life problems" I say, wrapping my arms around him and curling into him.  
"That's not the only fascination I have with ya" He says, hands running up my sides as he plants a solid kiss against my lips.  
As he pulls away his quiet laughter contagiously makes me laugh along with him.  
"Goodnight babes" he says quietly, I shut my eyes and relax further into him.  
"Goodnight Beetlejuice" I murmur against him, sleep taking over and a dream taking hold of me.


	3. The Demon Who Isn’t There

A crash from the kitchen wakes me up abruptly, I lift my head from where it rested and make eye contact with Beetlejuice.  
"Morning" I say to him as one of his hands trace along my spine, the other resting on my hip.  
"Good morning" he says, I press my hands against his chest and kiss him gently.  
His hands travel to the back of my thighs, pulling me closer and deepening the kiss.  
"Lydia, breakfast!" Delia yells up the stairs, a groan escaping me as I pull away from Beetlejuice hesitantly and sigh as I stand up, I go to my closet and pull out my favorite black dress, safety pins lining the frill along the top and a pair of floral fishnets.  
I pull off my nightgown and quickly get dressed, I look up and notice Beetlejuice taking his hands off from over his eyes even though his fingers had enough distance apart to see me clearly through.  
The level of comfort that I felt with him enough to forget he was in the room as I realize my actions too late.  
"Hey! At least I tried not to look!" He says, hands going up in a defensive position.  
I laugh and move to him, placing a hand on his upper arm.  
"You're not in trouble perv" I say, giving him a kiss on the cheek before I go downstairs, breakfast goes by quickly, my dad already gone for work, as soon as I'm done with the dishes I rush up to my room, a mug of coffee in either hand.  
"Can you drink coffee?" I ask, setting the mugs on my desk as I sit down, he pulls the chair from my vanity and joins me at the desk, his arm draped over my shoulders.  
I slide a mug to him and offer a small smile to him, I grip my mug and take a sip, my eyes close and I lean my head back against his arm.  
"How long can you sit still for?" I say, opening my sketchbook and quickly drinking my coffee.  
"I'm dead so, probably a while. With proper motivation of course." He says, puckering his lips, I give him a quick kiss as I grab my mechanical pencil.  
"Mmm, I could try to last longer..." he says, looking around the room in mock innocence, I roll my eyes at him, I press my lips against his, my arms going around his neck as he pulls me closer to him.  
The next hour consists of us talking and joking as I draw him, a knock on the door causing us to immediately stop laughing.  
"Lydia, who are you talking to?" Delia says through the door.  
"Uh, no one! I was just watching a video" I call back to her, Beetlejuice shifting in his seat as he grabs a notebook and pen from the desk.  
"Okay, carry on!" She says, her footsteps fading as she walks down the hallway, the sound quickly fading into silence.  
"Watching a video, huh?" He says in wonder as he doodles in the side column of a notebook.  
"Watching a video sounded a lot better than "I'm drawing a demon that I've been sharing my bed with for the past couple of days."" I say, my cheeks getting warm with slight embarrassment.  
"I mean, that would get their attention" he says, placing his hands on my hips as he turns me to him.  
"Mmm, I'm sure it would but as much as I would love to see that, I don't want you exorcised just yet" I say with a smirk.  
"You would exorcise this?" He says, leaning in and kissing me, when the need to breathe becomes too much I pull away and look at him.  
"Just because I wouldn't doesn't mean my dad wouldn't. And I wish you luck if he figures out what we get up to in here" I say, turning back to the portrait, adding in the finer details.  
"Which is nothing compared to what I could do" he says, I raise an eyebrow in intrigue but quickly toss that thought aside.  
We sit there drawing together as I mention dad's stupid business dinner tomorrow, by the time he puts his pen down, I have a mostly finished portrait of him.  
"You are really good at this" he says, I shrug as I go over the lines with a black pen, erasing the lines beneath before finishing the shading on it.  
"Photography is my thing but, I have been known to surprise every now and then." I say, happy with how the picture looks, I hold it up to him and am surprised to see that it is an exact copy of him.  
I hear my dad's car door slam and the front door open and shut a minute later.  
Beetlejuice focuses on the door as I go over to my bulletin board and look for a pin to put the portrait up.  
"Will you help Delia in the kitchen?" My dad says, standing in the now open doorway, his words not so much a question but an order.  
"Yes, I will" I respond, finding a pin and fixing it to the board.  
"Who is that?" My dad asks in confusion as he has never seen Beetlejuice.  
Beetlejuice smiles and leans back in the chair, expression full of amusement at my dad's clear lack of seeing him.  
"Lawrence, he's my demon" I say, telling him Beetlejuice's given name, not wanting to risk the name that holds power over him.  
"There is no such thing as demons Lydia" he says before walking out, leaving my door open as he goes into his room.  
"Maybe I should just tell them about you, it got a reaction" I say.  
As I go to leave the room Beetlejuice grabs my wrist, I turn to him, expecting him to be sitting but am proven wrong as he towers over me.  
He backs me against the wall behind the open door and kisses me, passion taking over as we continue, I break away for air and his lips trail down my neck.  
"Say it again" he says, leaving what I suppose will be a dark hickey on my neck, high enough that I won't know what to say if I'm confronted about it.  
"Lawrence" I breathe out as my fingers tug on his hair, his lips colliding with mine once more.  
He pulls away and I gasp for air, attempting to catch my breath before going downstairs.  
When my heart stops racing I make my way down the stairs, rushing into the kitchen.


	4. Baking And Bored Games, How Domestic For A Demon

"Sorry, I got distracted!" I exclaim, Delia tosses me an apron that I notice isn't her style.  
The apron is black with lace frills, clearly new, I look at her till she looks back at me.  
"I thought you might like it" she says, grabbing a couple baking sheets.  
Beetlejuice appears in the chair on the other side of the counter and I groan, knowing I can't interact with him when Delia is here.  
I pull the apron on and tie it as Delia gathers ingredients for chocolate chip cookies, placing them on the counter in front of Beetlejuice.  
"Want to measure the ingredients?" Delia says, I nod and begin to measure the ingredients.  
I find ways to interact with Beetlejuice, a brush of fingers here, a smile there.  
Delia's phone rings and she walks out to take it so she can escape the sound of the electric mixer as I combine the ingredients, Beetlejuice moves behind me, hands on my hips as he brings his lips to my neck.  
"If you give me any more hickeys, they'll find us out" I whisper to him as I turn off the mixer.  
"I thought we could scare them with our relationship." He says the last word as a question, I nod.  
"Is that what you want?" I ask, placing spoonfuls of cookie dough on the pre oiled pan.  
A moment of silence passes over us and I pull away to put the cookies in the oven more aggressively than I meant to, I set the timer and go back to the counter, getting the second sheet of cookies ready.  
"Babes, I thought you knew what I wanted by now" he says, turning me to face him, his hands on my hips.  
I look up at him and shake my head, I don't know what he wants, especially not from me other than to say his name.  
"I want you" he responds, a small gasp escapes me, Delia walks into the room ranting about family and whatnot.  
"Cookies are in the oven and the timer is on" I say quickly when she stops talking, she smiles and excitedly sits down in front of the oven to watch the cookies bake.  
"Come on" she says, gesturing to the spot next to her.  
I sit next to her on the floor, my hand casually held out on the floor for Beetlejuice who takes it as he sits down.  
The next twenty minutes consists of Delia and I making random conversation till she gets up to pull the cookies out, placing the other tray in and setting the timer.  
We sit on the floor in comfortable silence this time around.  
"You seem to be adjusting to the house, better than we thought you would." Delia says.  
"There are some unexpected positives to living here" I say, turning my head to Beetlejuice.  
The timer goes off and we get up, pulling the last of the cookies out of the oven and turning the light and oven off.  
"I was thinking about going on a walk, want to join?" I ask Delia as I take off the apron and hang it on the proper hook.  
She gives me a look of surprise as she takes the cookies off the sheets and puts them in the cookie jar.  
"Yes!" She exclaims excitedly, a small laugh escaping me as I walk toward the door.  
"I'm going to put some shoes on" I say, going upstairs with Beetlejuice following behind me.  
I grab my boots and sit on the bed while putting them on, Beetlejuice leans against the bed post as he watches me.  
Delia's footsteps echo as she walks past my open door, I stand up and begin speaking to Beetlejuice quietly.  
"I'll be back in an hour, please don't get into trouble. Go hangout with Barbara and Adam, play cards or something and I'll join when I get back." I say, putting my camera around my neck.  
"But babes, the Maitland's are so lame!" He says dramatically, I walk toward the door and pause before stepping out.  
"Fine, then be bored in my room" I say over my shoulder as I shut the door behind me, I go downstairs and meet Delia by the door before leaving.  
Delia and I walk down to the river, the cool water shimmering in the bright sunlight.  
"Delia!" I call after her as she reaches a hand into the water.  
I go up to her and pull her hair out of the weird top knot she keeps it in and fix it so it cascades down her back in waves, I walk back a little and snap a picture of her reaching a hand in, hair blowing gently in the breeze.  
"This is your best photo, I can't wait to develop it!" I exclaim as we continue walking, an hour later we make it back to the house, she brings up the darkroom again.  
"I was thinking the basement, the attic has the previous owners things in it and I don't want to disturb it" I say, grabbing a bottle of juice from the fridge and taking a sip, she hands me a cookie and we sit at the counter talking about how to go about creating a darkroom.  
"What do you want for dinner?" She asks as she looks in the fridge, I stand up and shrug.  
"I don't really care, pizza sounds kinda good though" She nods and begins talking about how we can have "family night" and make pizza together.  
"Sounds great Delia" I say, going upstairs, I open my door and find it empty, I go up to the attic and am surprised to find it also empty.  
I go back to my bedroom and open my window, climbing through it and walking to the balcony where I see the Maitland's and Beetlejuice playing cards, they look up at me as I approach them.  
"Hey babes!" Beetlejuice exclaims as I sit next to him, the Maitland's giving us a look of confusion.  
Barbara shuffles the cards as their game ends, Beetlejuice looking victorious as he runs a hand though his hair.  
"Do you wanna play Lyds?" Beetlejuice asks, taking the cards from Barbara and dealing them out.  
"Sure, what are we playing?" I ask, shifting to sit criss cross.  
They trade ideas of games to play for a few minutes, finally deciding on Go Fish.  
I reach over and grab my bottle of juice that I swore was closer to me, Beetlejuice's cards on full display for a couple seconds, his hand consists of: a two, an ace, a seven, a king, and a ten.  
"Do you have an eight?" I ask Beetlejuice, knowing he doesn't have one.  
"Damn" he says handing me an eight, I smile as I accept the card, placing the second pair of eights down and flipping them over.  
"How do you always win?!" Adam exclaims as Barbara shuffles the cards, I shrug.  
"I don't know, luck?" I say, glancing over at Beetlejuice briefly as Barbara passes out cards for our seventh game of go fish.  
"So, I didn't want to say anything but, I think it needs to be addressed" Barbara says, looking at Beetlejuice and I "Lydia, how old are you?" She asks, Adam shuffles the cards as she talks.  
"I turned eighteen a month ago" I answer, pretty sure I know where this is going.  
She lets out a sigh and frowns slightly as she thinks through what she wants to say next.  
"Im not trying to parent you, I just think maybe the relationship between you two, whatever it might be is inappropriate and to be honest, weird." She says, I look up at her as Adam hands me a new hand of cards.  
"No weirder than being friends with you and Adam" I say, taking a drink of juice and organizing my hand, placing a match down.  
"Well, yes but we don't stay in your room, he's so much older than you for one and dead for another, not to mention a demon." Her words having little to no impact on me as we continue playing.  
"I'm eighteen and can make my own decisions, how I interact with Beetlejuice is not your business let alone a problem. The problem is my father and how he doesn't acknowledge the fact that his daughter still exists." I say, handing Adam the three he asked for.  
The expression on her face softens as I bring up my dad and the abandonment I feel from him.  
"You're right, I'm just trying to-" I raise a hand and she stops talking.  
Adam and Beetlejuice freeze and look concerned as I remain silent.  
"I don't need your help, I started this and I'm pretty sure I can handle it as well. Beetlejuice hasn't done anything wrong and if he does I will make sure it's fixed." I say bluntly "Do you have an ace?" I ask turning to Beetlejuice, who smiles as he silently hands me one.  
The game continues and after a couple more games it returns to its original competitive and playful energy.


	5. The Challenge Demands Satisfaction

"Hey, you two can do the whole possession thing, right?" I ask the Maitland's, they shrug and look at Beetlejuice.  
"Any ghost can do it in less than one lesson" he says, they perk up and look intrigued with the new information he offered up.  
"Well, you want my dad gone, I do too. Why don't you possess him at the dinner party and if that doesn't work, Beetlejuice can scare the hell out of them" I say, a mischievous glint appearing in Beetlejuice's eyes as the Maitland's scheme.  
"Lydia?!" I hear Delia call faintly, cautious footsteps following.  
The cards disappear and my sketchbook appears in my lap with a pencil.  
"What are you doing up here?" Delia asks as she sits between Adam and I.  
The three staying silent as she looks down at the blank page of my scetch book.  
"I was going to draw but, when I sat down I lost inspiration" I say, she places a hand over mine and smiles.  
"I used to be an artist but, my ex-husband convinced me to quit because I wasn't very good" she says, I frown as the feeling of familiarity takes ahold of me.  
"Maybe he was just pushing his feeling of inadequacy onto you" I say, picking up my pencil and sketching her as she looks out at the view from the roof.  
"Who's the life coach here?" She says with a small laugh as she nudges me softly, I smile at her briefly before going back to the sketch as we continue talking.  
A half hour passes and I decide the picture is finished, I sign the bottom and address it to her before carefully tearing along the perforated edge and handing it to her.  
"Oh my god! Thank you" she says, impulsively giving me a hug, I hesitate before returning the gesture.  
A moment passes before she lets go and stands up, I stand and bring my foot forward, kicking Beetlejuice in the knee as I notice his eyes, trailing up my legs as if to look up my dress, he stays silent even as his face shows the hurt.  
"Lets go make dinner" Delia says, walking toward the window.  
I ruffle Beetlejuice's hair as I pass him, leaving the Maitland's in a whirlwind of confusion as Delia and I carefully make our way back into the house.  
We go downstairs and into the kitchen, she turns on some classic rock as we make the pizza dough, I throw a pinch of flour at her as she passes by, most of it landing on her apron but some getting in her hair.  
She pauses in shock before tossing a sizeable amount back at me, the powder covering the front of my dress and apron. My father walks in as I fling more at her as a form of retaliation.  
"What is going on in here?!" He shouts, we freeze and turn to him with guilty expressions on our faces.  
Delia grabs the broom and I begin wiping down the surfaces as he scolds us.  
"I'm going to go change" I say, quickly going up to my bedroom.  
Beetlejuice is sitting at my desk with his feet propped up.  
"You are so dirty" he says, that mischievous gleam back in his eyes, I roll my eyes at him as I grab a pair of black athletic shorts and a red tee shirt.  
I go into the bathroom making sure I got the flour out of my hair before changing, I go back into my room and set my boots by my bed and tossing my dress and tights in the hamper.  
He follows me downstairs, as I enter the kitchen Delia looks up at me, also in new clothes and my dad with his arms crossed and a glare on his face.  
"I don't even know how to express my disappointment with you" he says while looking at me.  
"I thought you'd be happy we were finally getting along. I guess that was just wishful thinking because nothing is ever good enough for you." I say, anger taking over me as I turn and go back to my room, shutting the door firmly behind me.  
I climb through the window and sit on the roof, legs dangling off the ledge, looking out at the small town as the sun slowly goes down.  
After what I can assume is an hour, I hear footsteps approach me, too quiet to be Beetlejuice, Adam, or my dad and since they're slow and cautious, it has to be Delia.  
She sits next to me, a plate in either hand, she holds one out to me and I take it after a moment.  
"Thanks" I say quietly, I grab a slice of cheese pizza off my plate and take a bite as we sit in silence.  
I turn to her and set my plate down on the roof next to me.  
"What did he say after I left?" I ask, a frown appearing on her face as we quickly finish dinner.  
"That you were being dramatic and needed to grow up." She says with a sigh as sets her plate to the side, her hand going up to clutch the crystal on her necklace.  
"I'm not wrong, he's never happy with anything. Not anymore" I say.  
"He's going through his own process, maybe he's just not going about it in the best way." I look at her with an unamused expression.  
"Well, if he could not take it out on me that would be great." I say.  
"Lets go back inside, I can make some tea and we can play a game of Scrabble" she says, grabbing her plate and standing up, I grab my plate and take her offered hand as I stand.  
I let go of her and we go down to the kitchen, she puts on the kettle while I set up the Scrabble board in the dining room.  
She comes in with a tray containing the teapot, sugar, cream, tea biscuits and my favorite teacup with the matching saucer as well as her usual teacup.  
She sits across from me, pouring some tea into my cup and placing it on the saucer in front of me.  
I thank her as I put a spoon of sugar in it and stir the hot drink.  
"That can't be a word!" She exclaims as I place the last letter tile on the board.  
I add up the word score and announce that it's worth 44 due to being on two double word scores.  
"What the hell?! Asthenia is a word?! Meaning the loss of strength, how do you even know that word?!" She says, I shrug nonchalantly at her as I grab more tiles.  
"You tend to learn uncommon words when your parents play Scrabble competitively." I say as she places down 'GHOST', I laugh as I write down the total word score.  
The game continues for hours, each word placed with confidence as we play.  
"289 to 193, you got closer to me than the first few games" I say, taking the last biscuit and offering it to her.  
She takes the biscuit and breaks it in half, offering me half, I accept it and we eat our halves in comfortable silence.  
"Good game, I'm gonna have to break out the dictionary next time though." She says, taking the tray into the kitchen as I begin putting the game away, she comes back and takes over cleaning up.  
"I'm going to head to bed, I'll see you tomorrow morning" I say, a glance to the clock tells me that it's almost one in the morning, I grab that awful dress from the closet before going upstairs.  
I shut my door behind me and hang the dress from my desk chair, I look up and notice Beetlejuice sleeping soundly on my bed, I turn the light off and quietly slip into bed next to him, laying on my side facing away from him.  
He turns onto his side and wraps his arms around me, pulling me flush against him, I grab his right hand and interlock our fingers.  
I shut my eyes, the sound of rain pattering against the roof lulling me slowly into dreamless sleep.


	6. I’m Satisfied.

"Lydia! It's time to get up! We have an exciting day ahead of us!" Delia's excited voice wakes me up and I groan loudly, Beetlejuice's arms tighten around me then loosen as he slowly wakes up.  
I slip out of his arms and out of bed, deciding not to grab the monstrosity Delia calls a dress yet, instead I grab another pair of shorts and a tee shirt along with new underwear before going into the bathroom and turning on the shower, I place the clean clothes on the counter and undress quickly before stepping into the shower, shutting the glass door behind me and take my time showering.  
I turn the water off and open the door enough to grab a towel, once I have the towel, I wrap it around my body and secure it as I exit the shower.  
Beetlejuice stands in the open doorway as I brush my hair and teeth.  
"Morning" he says, wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his chin on my shoulder as I dry my hair with a blowdryer, I turn my head and place a kiss to his temple before going back to drying my hair.  
Once my hair is dry I turn the blowdryer off and set it down on the counter.  
"I need to get dressed" I say, he lets go of me and hovers in the doorway.  
I smile at him, placing my hands against his chest as I push him out of the room before shutting the door and putting on the new clothes and throwing my old ones in the laundry basket.  
Beetlejuice is standing where I left him as I open the door.  
"It doesn't really scream 'business dinner' to me, but hey, what do I know" He says looking my outfit up and down.  
I laugh and move past him to the vanity, explaining that I'm not going to put that thing on till last minute as I put on some light makeup paired with my usual dark lipstick.  
"Lydia! Would you set the table? Your father is in his office and will be out at dinner." Delia calls up the stairs.  
"I'll see you later" I say, giving him a kiss before leaving the room and making my way down the stairs, I take my time setting the table with the China dad has decided to use for the special occasion.  
Immediately after I finish Delia asks me to get a specific box from the attic.  
"What are you doing?" I ask the Maitland's as I enter the room.  
"Nothing, what's up?" Barbara says, holding a book on how to make pottery, all I can think is that it suits her character to be into pottery.  
"Just grabbing a box for Delia" I say as I lean down and grab a small pink and orange box as instructed and walking back to the door.  
"Are we still on for later?" I say, hoping they don't go back on our plan.  
"We will be there!" Adam exclaims excitedly.  
A smile on both of their faces, a genuine happiness that I haven't seen in months from my father or Delia.  
"Okay, I'll see you guys later" I say with a small wave before going back downstairs.  
I set the box on the kitchen counter and glance at the clock, it reads: 12:06 pm.  
Dinner is going to be served at five, I go back up to my room and sit on the bed next to Beetlejuice who pulls me close to him.  
"I hate dinner parties that don't involve a murder mystery" I say.  
"I can make that happen!" He exclaims excitedly.  
I give him a look and he pauses his brief outburst of excitement.  
"It's not a mystery when I know who did it" I say, his contagious laugh fills the air causing me to laugh along.  
"You're right babes but, at least I offered" he says.  
"And I thank you for that" I say, giving his hand a light squeeze.  
We sit there, Beetlejuice reading aloud in a language I don't understand for an hour before I get up to fix my hair, I hear a commotion downstairs and decide to investigate.  
"Delia!" I call out as I walk down the steps, as I get into the kitchen I see the source of the noise.  
"Um, are you alright Delia?" I ask as she struggles with putting something into the oven.  
A moment of silence passes over us as we look at each other from across the room.  
"Yes! I am fine, do you think you could check on your father?" She asks as she finally gets the dish in and shuts the oven door, I hesitantly nod before leaving the room to go up to his office.  
I knock on the door and after a moment he calls out to come in.  
"Delia wanted me to check on you, make sure you're not drowning yourself in paperwork" I say, trying to make a joke to makeup for the awkwardness.  
"I am alive, when did you start listening to Delia?" He asks distractedly as he adjusts his glasses while looking intensely at a paper.  
"I've always listened to her, I just don't feel the need to follow through with some of her advice" I say matter of factly "Well, since you're obviously alright I'll see you at dinner" I shut the door behind me and go to tell Delia what his response was, as I get into the kitchen Delia is pouring a glass of juice and placing two plates with sandwiches on the counter.  
"Wanna cup?" She asks casually, I nod as I sit at the counter.  
She pours an additional cup and hands it to me and I give her a brief thank you before reiterating what my dad said to her as we eat lunch, making casual conversation.

Time Skip- 7:04 pm That Night.

"You make that yellow doily look good." Beetlejuice says, I give him a doubtful look before placing my hands on his shoulders.  
"I'll see you soon." I say, giving him a long kiss, he nods, and with that I go downstairs.  
"Father, Oh father dear. Did I hear the dinner bell?" I call out as I stop on the landing "so sorry I'm late everybody"  
"Lydia, your dress" I hear my dad say over the collective gasp.  
I join the group of people and Mr. Deane ogles me, grabbing my hand and placing a kiss to it, I zone out on his words.  
"-What's the matter Chuck? Afraid I'd marry her?!" He exclaims, I jerk my hand away from him and a passing thought of how I would prefer to marry Beetlejuice makes me snap out of the initial alarm that this short, disgusting man has caused.  
"This is going to be such an interesting night" I say as we take our seats.  
"First, I think it would be so wonderful if our newest family member would make a toast, Delia" I say, Delia stands and begins talking.  
"Day-o!" Delia's voice sounds out, people talk wondering what's going on.  
"What's going on Delia? Are you alright?" I ask going along with the plan.  
As the dinner party gets possessed into singing and dancing, the Maitland's come down onto the landing.  
I watch on and when my father and Mr. Deane begin planning to make the Maitland's into a circus act for profit I stand on the table.  
"Beetlejuice" I yell, he climbs up onto the table next to me.  
"Beetlejuice!" One more time and he's free and hopefully I will be too.  
"Gimme just one more" he says, grabbing my hand.  
"Beetlejuice!" I scream, the lights flicker and thunder cracks.  
"It's showtime" he says to me as he lets go of my hand and steps down from the table "welcome, welcome, welcome! Can everybody see me?!" There's a collective scream that comes from the party, I get off the table and sit in a chair as I lose track of what's going on as he manipulates the room around us, my father who, like the other guests is scared and panicking.  
"He's really gone" I say as the business party rushes out of the house, I get up and stand next to Beetlejuice.  
"Oh yeah, It's our house now kid" he says, pulling me close.  
"Woah" I say, looking up at him.  
"Looks like we're not invisible anymore" He says, leaning down and hugging me tightly, my arms looping around his neck as his hands move down to rest on my hips.  
"They're gone!" Adam exclaims, causing me to pull away from Beetlejuice.  
An hour of us sitting at the table talking as I eat dinner passes before we decide to clean up and play a few rounds of Texas hold 'em.  
"I think it's time for bed, it's late and I'm sure you all need to rest." I say, standing up and pushing in my chair behind me.  
They put the cards away and stand up, the Maitland's cross over to me and give me a hug as they say goodnight.  
"Goodnight, see you in the morning!" I call down the stairs as I open my bedroom door and step in, shutting it behind me.  
I turn to face my bedroom and run head first into Beetlejuice's chest.  
"Sorry, didn't see you there" I say, he places his hands against the door on either side of my head.  
My breath hitches and I close my eyes as he leans down, his lips softly meet mine in a way that opposites his personality, my hands tangle in his hair as I deepen the kiss.  
"Thank you" I say, letting the back of my head hit the door as I catch my breath.  
"For what?" He asks, smoothing my hair down with a hand.  
"Being by my side" I say, he leads me to the bed and lays us down over the covers.  
I hear a snap before I notice I'm in a long button down shirt with nothing else but my underwear and the lights are out making the room dark, the only light coming from the moon outside my window.  
"I'm here for as long as you keep me here" he says in a broken voice, I wrap my arms around him and nuzzle into his neck giving him a soft bite before placing a kiss to the skin as he lets out a low groan.  
"As long as you keep being fun to tease" I reply, tightening my arms as his wrap around me.  
I shut my eyes and focus on the feel of him as I fall asleep.


	7. Handbook For The Recently Deceased

"If you're going to live like a ghost, you've got to follow the rules. Rule number one, don't leave the house" Beetlejuice says after we finish scaring off a Girl Scout, a census man, a pizza deliver boy, a UPS delivery man, and a neighbor.  
"Why not?" I ask him curious as to why this has changed.  
He snaps his fingers and the front door opens, a force threatens to pulls us towards the opening where a giant snake like creature pops out.  
"That's enough!" I faintly hear him yell over the violent wind.  
"That is a sandworm! And they eat ghosts!" he explains "Rule number two: every new ghost gets a... tote bag!" He exclaims, one of his many doppelgängers hands me a tote bag with the NPR logo on it  
"National Public Radio?" I ask, kind of amused.  
"That's where tote bags come from" he says with a smile as I put one of the straps on my shoulder.  
"There's lots of cool stuff in there, there's a bath bomb, there's a Toblerone, there's a book you're never going to read" I dig through the bag with one hand as he speaks and pull out the book.  
"Handbook for the recently deceased?" I say, examining the old book.  
"That's the one! But, Since you're not actually dead, want to see a sad puppet show?"  
He goes to take the book from my hand but I brush him off.  
"Could I use this to find my mom?" I ask.  
"Your mom? Your mom's dead. She's in the netherworld." He says, not understanding what I'm getting at.  
"The netherworld? Well, Could I bring her back? Could I bring her back here?" I ask, determined to get answers from him.  
"What?! Why would anyone want to spend more time with their mother? Did I mention that my mom is a demon? She's impossible, she'd start drinking and I'd be like: "Mom, stop drinking, it's either me or the booze" and then she'd be like: "Well then I choose the booze!" Point is, we just got rid of your dad and we were having so much fun together!" he says, I do feel bad for him, I just need to see my mom even if it is just one more time.  
I try to open the book but, it stays firmly shut as I pull on the cover.  
"I can't open it." I say holding the book out to him.  
"Well yeah, cause you're not recently deceased" he says, pointing to the title on the cover.  
"Beetlejuice, you're dead. Why won’t you open it for me?" I ask, attempting to guilt trip him into opening the book as we walk up the stairs, going through my bedroom window onto the roof.  
"Lydia, there are something's more disappointing than losing a parent. I don't want you to regret this" he says as we sit down, a moment of silence passes before I respond.  
"I won't. Please, help me with this" I say, he pulls out the box of Girl Scout cookies and opens the package, handing me a thin mint before taking a bite of his own.  
"Babes, these things always come at a price" his tone warning me that if there was a time to back out, it's now.  
"And I'll pay it, just tell me what it is" I say, eating my cookie before the chocolate melts.  
He looks at me with a glint of something in his eye, pity? Understanding? No, familiarity.  
"These things don't always work out the way we want, I didn't used to be alone in this house before the Maitland's, I went looking for something, someone I shouldn't have and it cost the only thing that could see me" A sadness washes over me as I look into his eyes and see the regret he still feels.  
"What's the price, Beetlejuice?" I ask softly, he lifts his head and eats another cookie.  
"The books price is always different, depends on what you want. I'm sorry to say that there's two prices to this deal if I open it for you and I think maybe you should ask the Maitland's before you hear the other price." He says, I reach over and squeeze his hand.  
"Okay" I nod and give him a firm kiss on his cheek before going through my window and to the attic.  
The Maitland's immediately stop what they're doing and look at me as I enter the room, I stand in the middle of the room.  
"Would either of you want to open this for me?" I ask, waving the book a little.  
"What is that? Is that an old book? I love old books" Adam says, lovingly.  
"There are two kinds of people in this world: new car smell people" Barbara says coming up to me, Adam crossing over to us shortly after.  
"And old book smell people" Adam finishes her sentence.  
"And we're all old book smell people" I say with a smile as I bring the book up and we smell it briefly "do either of you want to open it for me?" I hold the book out to Adam as Barbara contemplates the title aloud, he takes it as I ask him to do the honours.  
"Where did you get it?" Barbara asks.  
"Beetlejuice gave it to me, I'm going to use it to bring my mom back from the netherworld" I respond briefly.  
We gather close as he opens the book, a light shining off of it as we look at the intro page.  
"Woah, this is such an interesting font" Adam says, I lean my head on his shoulder as Barbara gives him a look.  
He begins reading it out loud, talking about how all ghosts have to report directly to the netherworld.  
"Does it say anything about summoning, some seances?" I ask, flipping pages.  
"Hold on! It says we should draw a door! Now, normally I would use a plumbline for this but, I'm not too shabby with the freehand" He announces going to grab something, he taps a piece of chalk against my nose as he passes me, drawing a door on the shelving of the closest wall to us.  
"A little crooked... Knock three times" he says, reading from the book "here goes nothing" he hands the book to Barbara and turns, he knocks on the shelving three times, it opens and green light seeps into the attic followed by a layer of fog.  
"Is that the Netherworld?" I ask as Adam stares in through the door.  
"Netherworld! Netherworld!" Adam calls out as he is drawn to the door, I run to the door but, just as I get to it Barbara slams it shut.  
"This book is dangerous!" She yells while shutting the book.  
"No, don't close that!" I say, too late.  
"This is wrong, it's all wrong!" She shouts, I feel a pang of betrayal at her words.  
"I thought you were on my side!" I say defensively.  
"We are but, Lydia you can't live like this. In a haunted house, all alone" she says, her tone softening as she looks at me.  
"I've been alone since my mother died, I have a chance to see her again, please." I go up to her, pleading.  
"I can't, it's too risky" she responds, I turn to leave the room.  
"Fine, Beetlejuice will help me!" I exclaim, opening the door and stepping out.  
"Lydia! Wait!" Adam calls after me, I turn back to him.  
"We're scared for you" Barbara says, my eyes narrow at her as she speaks.  
"You're scared of everything! That's why you're stuck in the attic!" I sneer at them, slamming the door shut behind me, I run to my bedroom window and climb onto the roof.  
Beetlejuice is sitting exactly where he was when I left, I go up to him and sit down.  
"They slammed the book in my face" I say quietly, looking to the ground.  
He places a hand on mine, silence surrounding us as we remain unmoving.  
"What's the price?" I ask, holding the book out to him.  
"Marry me" he says, I do a double take making sure I heard him correctly.  
In a second I have my mind made, this is a price I don't mind paying.  
"Yes" I say, pushing the book to his chest.  
"Don't you want to think it through?" He asks, I shake my head as I straddle his hips, I wrap my arms around him and rest my head on his shoulder.  
"You already live here, I mean, we share a bed. I don't mind spending my life with you" I say, the sound of two cars coming up the hill causing me to pull away from him and stand up, offering my hand to him.  
"Come on, we have a seance to conduct" I say, his cold hand slides into mine and he stands.  
We go into my room and he flips through the book to find the right passage.  
"Hello! Stripey ghost man! I've returned to pry my beloved daughter from your cold, dead hands!" I hear my fathers voice come from down the stairs.  
"This is the one" Beetlejuice says pointing to an excerpt in the book, I hold the book open with my thumb as I walk down the hall.  
"LEAVE. THIS. HOUSE. The ghosts who dwell here want you GONE. And so do I!" I yell as I stand on the landing.  
"Otho, do something!" My dad yells as I hold open the book.  
"Okay!" He yells back in an alarmed voice, it being clear that he did not sign up for a real haunting as he flees.  
"Lydia, you are under the influence of dark forces." My father says, I hold back a smirk.  
"No Dad. I'm the dark force. And I'm bringing mom back!" I shout angrily before reading the passage aloud, unaware of my surroundings as I read "Spirit nearest, hearts entwine. Love infernal, shade unblind. I summon thee, lend Ceres' breath. Devoted soul, released from death!" A bright light shines from the box they brought, a figure rising from it.  
"Mom?!" I yell as Adam runs into the room, panicked.  
"Barbara!" He yells.  
"Barbara?" I say in confusion, as she materialises.  
Her screams of pain fill the house, Adam rushes to her and calls her name.  
"What's happening to her?!" He asks me.  
"I don't know. It was supposed to be my mom." I say, flipping frantically through the book to undo what I've just caused.  
"Lydia, what did you do?" My father calls out.  
"I don't know! I don't KNOW!" I say, panic setting in as I can't find the answer in the book, Barbara screams again and I throw the book to the ground as I rush down the stairs.  
Beetlejuice appears to my left, I turn to him with what I'm sure is a pleading expression on my face.  
"The book has a price" he says, looking at the scene unfurling in front of him, I place my hands on his chest and grip his lapels tightly.  
"How do I stop it?!" I exclaim, his eyes bore into mine as we stand there, Barbara starting to scream once more, a bright green light fills the room and I turn to it, it's source is an open door in the wall.  
"Don't take the prize" he says, as we walk to it, I see what looks like a female figure walking to the door through the thick fog and send a brief look over my shoulder to the people in the living room before I grab the handle and pull it shut.  
Barbara drops in a heap and Adam rushes to her, Beetlejuice opens his arms, offering to comfort me when I know I don’t deserve it.  
I wrap my arms around him and collapse in his welcoming embrace, I whisper an apology in his ear and give him a kiss the cheek as I pull away.  
“I’m sorry Barbara, I didn’t know that it would be a trade, I’m so sorry” I say, giving her a hug.  
“Sorry to wreck the moment, but can we please talk about the demon in the room?” My dad says, I pull away from Barbara, Beetlejuice points to himself as if he needs clarification on who the demon is.  
“The demon stays” I say, entwining my arm with Beetlejuice’s as if that will protect him.  
“Charles lets talk about this in the morning” Delia says, pulling him up the stairs.  
Beetlejuice and I explain what just happened from our perspectives to the Maitland’s and when we feel they have a good understanding and have no questions unanswered we go up to bed for the night.


	8. Misunderstood Situations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I had a different idea, but I guess this is what the chapter became. Not too happy with it so I might edit it later.

I stretch out as I wake up, Beetlejuice lets out a quiet groan, I stop and open my eyes.  
"Sorry for the rude awakening" I murmur into his neck as I practically wrap myself around him.  
His arms wrap around me lightly, resting on my lower back, we lay like that for what feels like hours before I get up.  
"Beej, help me out of this thing" I say, struggling with the dress he technically put me in, he gets up from the bed and steps behind me, slowly unbuttoning the dress, his cold fingers brush against the bare skin of my back as his hands move down, causing me to shiver into his touch.  
"There you go" he says, hands lingering for a moment before pulling away, I pull the sleeves off and the dress falls to the floor in a blood red pool.  
The sound of a horrified scream causing me to look up in shock.  
"I'm so sorry!" Delia exclaims, quickly shutting the door.  
The door opens just as fast as she shut it and my father walks in looking ready to commit murder.  
Beetlejuice steps in front of me, acting as a sort of shield from my father, I place a hand on his arm and move to look at my dad.  
“It’s not what it looks like, he was just helping me with the buttons, I let it fall” I say.  
"You monster, stay away from my daughter!" He screams at Beetlejuice.  
"Can you get out?" I ask, my father looks at me like I'm crazy "Let me rephrase, I would like to get dressed without my dad in the room." I say, he growls as he turns and leaves, the door slamming behind him.  
"He's not going to make this easy, is he?" Beetlejuice murmurs to himself as he sits on the bed.  
"I'm afraid not," I reply as I put on my black lace dress with safety pins on the collar.  
I touch up my eyeshadow and put on a dark red lipstick before I open my door and go downstairs.  
"Good morning Lydia," Delia says, an embarrassed blush on her face as she looks at me.  
I give her a quick hug as I pass by, grabbing a cookie from the jar before sitting at the counter.  
"Do you need anything from the store?" I ask, she rips off the top paper of the notepad on the fridge and hands it to me.  
The list has maybe ten items on it as I glance at it.  
"I can go for you" I say, she nods and grabs her purse, handing me a fifty before setting her bag down "also, I'm not sure how much you saw but, I want to apologize. He was only helping me with the buttons"   
"Oh, it's alright, it just shocked me is all." She says, waving it off, I nod as we fall into silence.  
I go back to my room and grab my cross body purse and keys.  
"You coming?" I ask Beetlejuice, who excitedly follows me to the front door, I step out and he hesitantly follows.  
He sits in the passenger seat as I drive the few minutes to the store, once inside I grab a basket and Beetlejuice takes it from me.  
We quickly make our way through the store, making sure to get everything on the list before going to checkout, the guy working the station attempts to flirt with me as he scans the items.  
"Have a good day" He says with an obnoxious smile after handing me the change and the receipt that he wrote what I’m guessing is his number on, I look up at Beetlejuice and smile before we walk out of the store.  
“He was as disgusting as Barbara and my dad think you are,” I say as I get into the car.  
“Yeah, at least I have charms and looks,” he says with a smile as he puts the bags in the back seat.  
He shuts the door and gets in the passenger seat, I hand him the receipt with the phone number and it combusts in his palm.  
“And tricks” I say before driving back to the house.


End file.
